Measured in time of transport and communication, the whole round globe is now smaller than a small European country was a hundred years ago.
John Boyd OrrRead
When the fabric of society is so rigid that it cannot change quickly enough, adjustments are achieved by social unrest and revolutions.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Society must adapt to change; if not, unrest and revolutions may occur.
This quote by John Boyd Orr highlights the importance of adaptability within society. When societal structures become inflexible and are unable to keep pace with the evolving needs and conditions of its people, the resulting frustration can lead to social unrest and even revolutions, as individuals seek to bring about necessary changes through drastic measures.
Themes
SocietyChangeUnrestRevolutionAdaptability
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about civil rights, one might invoke this quote to emphasize the need for change.
More from John Boyd Orr
All quotes βIt is said that those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad. It may well be that a war neurosis stirred up by propaganda of fear and hatred is the prelude to destruction.
John Boyd OrrRead
There can be no peace in the world so long as a large proportion of the population lack the necessities of life and believe that a change of the political and economic system will make them available. World peace must be based on world plenty.
John Boyd OrrRead
As we have seen, the wireless and the airplane have made the world so small and nations so dependent on each other that the only alternative to war is the United States of the World.
John Boyd OrrRead
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